Improvement in machines for nicking the heads of wood-screws



5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. J. S LOAN.

Making Wood Screws.

No. 7,748. Patented Oct. 29, 1850.

5 S t-Sh 2. T J. SLOAN. hees eet Making Wood Screws.

No. 7,748. Patented Oct. 29, 1850.

m: Norms warns co., Pua-rwumu, WABNINUTON, o. c.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3. T- J. SLOAN.

Making Wood Screws. No. 7,748. Patented Oct. 29, 1850.

5 SheetsSheet 4. T. J. SLOAN.

5" Sheets-Sheet 5. T. 1. SLOAN.

Making Wood Screws.

No. 7.748. Patented Oct; 29, 1850.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. SLOAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

\MPROVEMENT-IN MACHINES'FOR NlCKlNG THEHEADS OF WOOD-SCREWS.

To all whom itmay concern} Be it known that I, THOMAS J. SLOAN, of NewYork city, county, and State, have made certain new and usefulImprovements in the Machine for Nicking the Heads of Wood- Screws, ofwhich the following is a full, clear,

and exact description, reference being had to.

the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a plan; Fig. 2, a side elevation Fig. 3, a cross verticalsection; Fig. 4, another side elevation; Fig. 5, a separate view of thegripping-jaws, and Figs. 6 and 7 face views of the cams.

Thesame letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

In my improved machine the screw-blanks are gripped in a pair of jaws,which, after gripping the shank of the screw-blank, receive a vibratorymotion to carry the head of the blank up to a rotating saw, to benicked.

The first part of my invention consists in interposing a spring betweenthe gripping-jaws and the cam or lever, which gives the gripping motionthat the machine may be self-adapting to the varying sizes of blanks,and this part of my invention also consists in so forming or connectingthe spring that its tension may be regulated to suit large and smallblanks.

The second part of my invention consists in forming the cam which givesthe gripping operation with a recess or depression, so that directlyafter the blank has been seized by the jaws they shall be partly openedfor awhile to permit the blank to fall by gravity into its properposition before it is finally gripped to be presented to thenicking-saw.

' In the accompanying drawings, a represents a frame adapted to thepurpose, toward the middle of which there is mounted a horizontaldriving-shaft b,with a driving-pulley c,around which passes a band fromsome first mover. One end of this driving-shaft carries a nicking-saw d,of the usual kind used in nicking the heads of screw-blanks, and on theother end of the said shaft there is a cog-wheel e, from which arederived the various motions for the moving parts of the machinery to bedescribed.

Onone end of the frame there is a rock shaft f of a cylindrical form,which runs in two boxes 9 g, so that it can slide therein longitudinallyfor the purpose of adjustment, which adjustment is effected by means oftwo end screws h h. One end of-this rock-shaft is provided with an arma, to which is secured one of the jaws j by means of a screw-bolt (orbolts) R, passing through an elongated hole, so that the face of the jawwhich receives the screw-blank, and which is formed with a recess Z forthat purpose, can be adjusted in one direction to present the head ofthe screwblank to be nicked to the action of the saw. This admits of theadjustment of the jaw in one direction, while. the screws beforedescribed efiect the adjustment at right angles thereto. By means ofthese adjustments it will be perceivedthat the machine can be set topresent the head of a screw-blank properly to the saw, whatever may beits diameter. The boxes in which the driving-shaft that carries the sawruns should also be made adj ustable in a vertical direction toadjust-the periphery of the saw as it wears away to the range of motionof the jaws when presenting a blank, and also to the depth of nickintended to be cut.

The jaw j has a lateral projection m, to which is jointed the other jawn, the face of which is formed like the one j for the purpose ofreceiving and gripping the screwblanks as presented, a spring beinginterposed, which tends to keep them open.

The closing and opening of the grippingjaws to deliver the nicked blanksand receive and grip those to be nicked is effected by a cam 0, whichacts on a rocking lever p, and which in turn acts on the hinged jaw witha spring q interposed, that the jaws may be self-adapting to any slightvariation in the size of the shanks of the blanks. The lower arm of thelever 19 bears against the face of the cam 0, which from the point 1 to2, in the direction of the arrow, is concentric to keep the jaws closed.At the point 2 it suddenly recedes toward the axis to permit the jaws toopen to deliver a nicked blank and to re ceive another, the cam beingfor that purpose concentric from 3 to 4, where it runs out to the point5 to close the jaws to seize the new blank, and from 5 to 6 it isslightly recessed to permit the jaws partly to open to permit the blankto settle down into its appropriate place between the jaws and to re-25, which makes one entire rotation for each and every completeoperation of the machine, and this shaft has on it a cog-wheel a, whichengages a pinion c on the shaft of a wheel to, which receives motionfrom the driving-shaft by the cog-wheel 6, before described.

The spring q (see dotted lines, Fig. 4) is made in two parts puttogether by means of a joint on, similar to a rule-joint, and turning ona fulcrum-pin y, that it may retain its position while the gripping-jawsmove up and down and at the same time be free to adapt itself to thelateral motions of the jaws. The two plates of this spring are extendedbeyond their joint attachment and are con lowest position by means of aspring a, and

elevated at the required periods and in the required order by means of acam b on the same shaft with the cam 0, before described, which cam 1)acts on the arm 0 of a rockshaftd, which has another arm e, providedwith a set-screw f, which can be elevated or depressed to adjust theposition (vertically) of the jaws relatively to the periphery of thenicking-wheel. The head of this screw is rounded and fits in a socket inthe lower end of a rocking rod g, the upper rounded end of which fits ina socket in the under face of the jaw j. By these connections thegripping-jaws are elevated and depressed, and the periods of thesemovements relatively to the closing and opening of the jaws depends onthe form and relative position of the cams on their shaft. The cam bfrom 1 to 2, suddenly runs out from the axis to elevate the jaws tobring the head of the blank against the periphery ofthe saw, and thistakes place as the jaws are finally gripping the screwblank. From thepoint 2 to 3, in the direction of the arrow,the cam is a scrollgradually receding from the axis for the purpose of gradually carryingthe screw-blank up against the saw to cut in the nick, and when this iscut to the requisite depth at the point 3 the cam suddenly runs intoward the axis to let down the jaws as they open to deliver the nickedblank, and then, finally, the cam runs in a concentric direction to keepthe jaws down while a new blank is supplied. The operations are thenrepeated in the same manner.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the mode of constructing,arranging, and adj usting the parts may be varied without changing theprinciple of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be understoodas limiting myself to the special mode of constructing, arranging, andadj usting the parts, but to vary these so long as I attain the enddesired by means substantially the same.

What I claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Interposing a spring between the gripping-jaw and the lever or cam bywhich itis operated, in manner substantially as herein described, andfor the purpose specified.

2. Making the spring which is interposed between the gripping-j aw andthe mechanism which operates it so that its tension can be varied andregulated in the manner and for the purpose specified.

3. Causing the gripping-j aw to open slightly after it has seized theblank to permit the blank to assume its proper position between A' thejaws before it is finally gripped, in manner substantially as hereinspecified.

THOS. J. SLOAN.

Witnesses:

ALEX. PORTER BRoWNE, OAUSTEN BROWNE.

